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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29770785">Fantastic Trees</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Travant/pseuds/Travant'>Travant</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 01:01:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,193</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29770785</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Travant/pseuds/Travant</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the Canalave Library 2021 Extravaganza for girl-like-substance.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fantastic Trees</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/girllikesubstance/gifts">girllikesubstance</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Inspired by the prompt, "What fantastic trees have you got growing around here?"</p><p>It's a lot less related to that prompt than I'd expected it to be when I started writing, but I tried to incorporate it nonetheless!</p><p>The style of this story was also heavily inspired by GLS's work, which is a bonus. Anyone else, go read it if you like this! Go read it if you don't, too! It's great.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What kind of fantastic trees have you got growing round here?”</p><p>The tall, muscular lumberjack was toting an axe almost as tall as he was. It leaned on the wall as he leaned forward, his elbows resting on the bar’s counter. The other patrons of Bobby’s Brews didn’t even pretend to keep their eyes off of the conversation that she was having. Eterna City didn’t often have interesting visitors like this, and when it did, the townspeople paid attention.</p><p>Marco, the bartender, eyed the lumberjack with a weary eye. He really didn’t feel like dealing with whatever this was. It had been a nice, quiet day-- hell, it had been a nice, quiet week. Bobby’s Brews didn’t often have nice, quiet weeks, whether that meant Bijan getting into a bar fight with some poor out-of-towner or Mad getting his claws on the alcohol and getting drunk. </p><p>Marco really needed to start putting the alcohol in some place where Mad couldn’t reach it. But sue him, the fucker liked it, and Marco wasn’t one to keep his Pokemon from enjoying herself.</p><p>“Knock knock! Anyone in there?” </p><p>Marco sighed. “Look here. You’re gonna have to be more specific than that. Everywhere’s got trees, and I don’t think any of ‘em are especially ‘fantastic’ compared to the rest.”</p><p>“Bah! Don’t give me that.” The lumberjack’s voice was high and reedy, ringing through the bar and making sure that everyone could hear him. The guy seemed to thrive off attention. Marco felt a tentative dislike began to form.</p><p>“Eterna Forest is right in your backyard,” continued the lumberjack. Well, Marco assumed the guy was a lumberjack, from the axe. Who the fuck else would carry around a huge axe and ask stupid questions about trees, if not a lumberjack? </p><p>“The people of Eterna don’t traipse into the forest for no reason,” said Marco finally, exasperated. “And even that’s only when we have to, and we take teams of people. If you go in there alone, for no reason, and expect to walk out whole, then…” He shrugged. “They say Raikou watches over the curious, if you’re still willing.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” said the lumberjack, rolling his eyes. He picked his axe from the wall and whistled sharply. “Captain, let’s go. We’ll come back when the bartender doesn’t have a stick up his ass.”</p><p>Who on earth was this Captain, who would come and go at a simple whistle like a loyal Herdier? Whatever the case was, the lumberjack didn’t wait for Captain, waltzing out of the bar as if they owned the place and swinging the door shut behind him.</p><p>Weird. On one hand, at least he didn’t stay long. But from what he’d said, Marco figured he’d be seeing more of him sooner rather than later.</p><p>---</p><p>It was definitely sooner and not later. Unfortunately.</p><p>“Look, nobody’s here except me and you,” said the lumberjack. “And you know what that means.”</p><p>“It means it’s closing time,” replied Marco. </p><p>The lumberjack, of course, didn’t take the hint and kept talking. “It means you can tell me what’s interesting about the forest without your other patrons judging you, and without compromising your job! So, spill.”</p><p>Dear Arceus. “You’re gonna get the same answer you did last time, young man. Why did you come to me, anyways?”</p><p>“Don’t call me that.”</p><p>The lumberjack’s hackles seemed to have gone up. So he didn’t like being called young? Well, he could deal. “I don’t care how old you really are. You act like a young man.”</p><p>“No, I… whatever.” His eyes seemed colder now, and more guarded. “Look, I didn’t just come to you because bartenders are supposed to know shit. Valentina said you’d know the most about the forest that I was interested in, out of anyone in this city.”</p><p>Damn that old hag.</p><p>“I’m a botanist,” continued the lumberjack. Well, no. Not a lumberjack. “More specifically, I study symbiotic relationships between plants and other organisms, often wild Pokemon. I was told that you’d know the most about the wild Pokemon that, well, you could say partner with the trees in the forests.” </p><p>The guy threw around big words, but Marco could respect science more than… well, more than he could respect brainless curiosity with no explanation, which was what his first read of this guy was. Science had a goal. More knowledge was always something that could be useful, even if it wasn’t apparent at first glance.</p><p>This hadn’t been a common mindset in Eterna back when it had been Eterna Town, and not Eterna City. People then would have spat at the thought of science, of putting your hands where they didn’t belong, where the beasts would bite back. But times were changing fast, and Marco knew that people like this lumber-- this botanist were important to help people keep up. </p><p>“Well. I suppose I can tell you something. Maybe, next time, you should lead with that, and not that huge axe. I reckon everyone thought you were a lumberjack.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah.” At least he had the decency to look sheepish. “That makes sense. It’s, well. All I have left of my father, and I like the look it gives me.”</p><p>“The look it gives you,” noted Marco, “is the look of a lumberjack. But yes, what was it that you wanted to know about the forest, mister…”</p><p>The botanist pursed his lips. “Well, now it’s Ananya Jindal.”</p><p>Ananya? Now? But… oh. <i>Oh.</i> Shit.</p><p>Marco abruptly remembered the botanist’s aversion to being called a young man.</p><p>“Miss Jindal,” he said, nodding as if that was what he’d said the first time. Marco had no idea how to handle this or go about apologizing without looking like an idiot, so. If he just pretended it didn’t happen, it would be fine. Hopefully. And he wasn’t going to stare either, Arceus knew he probably-- fuck. Arceus knew she probably got enough of that from other people.</p><p>Something in the botanist’s eyes relaxed after that, and Jindal started to tell Marco about what she was looking for. Marco relaxed, too. Maybe this stranger wasn’t as bad as the first impression had implied.</p><p>---</p><p>“So, which way are we going?”</p><p>“The Chateau is west of here,” said Marco, resigned. Earlier, he’d said that the people of Eterna didn’t go into the forest alone without good reason. That wasn’t fully correct. That was true of most of the adult citizens. But there was no rule, unspoken or otherwise, that would ever be able to fully restrain the primal, defiant curiosity of youth. </p><p>And, well, Marco had been young once. </p><p>“Cool,” said Jindal, back to her previous, enthusiastic self. </p><p>Marco grabbed Mad’s Pokeball in his hand, rolling it around in his palm for a moment before pushing the release. A flash of bright white light revealed Mad herself. </p><p>“This is Mad,” said Marco, and then immediately shot an arm forward to grab the Toxtricity by the forearm, taking care to avoid the spikes on her wrists, as she lunged towards Jindal, snarling. Jindal herself flinched and stepped backwards, her hands in the air.</p><p>“No, Mad! Calm down,” ordered Marco. Mad hissed, her bright yellow frills flaring up as she turned back towards Marco with narrowed eyes. Marco didn’t flinch.</p><p>“I know you don’t know her,” he said. “But this is Jindal. She’s a friend.” </p><p>Mad finally stilled, and Marco decided that it was probably okay to let go of her arm. </p><p>“Goodness,” said Jindal, and Mad rumbled low in her throat, making Jindal’s eyes widen. But she settled down at a pointed glare from Marco.</p><p>“Goodness,” tried Jindal again. “Did I do something to offend her?”</p><p>“No,” grumbled Marco. “She’s just a cranky ass. You know it’s true, Mad, quit growling. She knows most of the people who frequent Bobby’s, but whenever she sees someone she doesn’t know, she gets snappy.”</p><p>“Well,” said Jindal, her initial cautiousness seemingly faded away. “That’s fine, then. I suppose you did say we need strong Pokemon at our side in the forest, right?”</p><p>“Ferocious guards for a ferocious forest,” repeated Marco. And there wasn’t much that was more ferocious than Mad, even when she was just a little baby Toxel hanging off of his arm and snapping at any wild bug-types foolish enough to get close. “Speaking of which, where’s your Pokemon?” Captain, Jindal had said earlier. Marco still had no idea what species this Captain was, but… “I don’t see any Pokeball on you.”</p><p>“Captain doesn’t like ‘em,” explained Jindal, shrugging. “I tried one on him once. It was one of the fancy expensive ones, too, but he just wouldn’t have it. He’s here, though, don’t worry.”</p><p>The forest around them was silent aside from the trilling of Starly. “A bird, then?”</p><p>“Nope,” said Jindal. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. He’s here, I swear.”</p><p>Marco was a little skeptical, but he decided to take Jindal at her word for the moment. “Well, what you’re looking for is this way.” He began to walk.</p><p>Jindal reached for the empty strap on her shoulder that had previously held her axe, but her hand closed around empty air, and she followed, shaking her head. It was good that she’d listened to him on that account-- their quarry hated the sight of axes. </p><p>It was only a few minutes of half-aimless wandering until the first Trevenant appeared.</p><p>It wasn’t a flashy, dramatic entrance. One moment the forest was quiet and still, and the next moment-- it was still quiet. But a hulking mass of wood was crawling entirely too near them, nimble on its roots like an Ariados would be on its legs. </p><p>To Jindal’s credit, she didn’t make any loud noises, as Marco had warned against. The appearance must have startled her. Arceus knew Marco’s own heart rate had picked up on seeing the ghost. </p><p>The Trevenant had yet to notice the traveling party, on account of their silence. Even Mad, who had been snorting quietly at her surroundings not long ago, watched the grass-type with motionless caution.</p><p>And then Jindal stepped <i>towards</i> the damn Trevenant, the twigs crunching under her sandals unbearably loud to Marco.</p><p>“What the hell,” he hissed at her, but it was too late. The Trevenant’s head turned, separate from the rest of its trunk-like body, and a single red eye stared right at Jindal. </p><p>“Hello,” said Jindal, without any trace of fear in her voice.</p><p>Marco’s head was spinning. This was a Trevenant! A vengeful spectre of the forest, stalking between the trees to snatch those poor souls who intruded as retribution against those who cut down its brethren. In their eyes, all humans were evil destroyers of nature. They were beyond reason, and highly dangerous.</p><p>Mad hissed her warning at the Trevenant, looking down at the grass-type. But despite the height advantage, the wild Trevenant did not look intimidated in the slightest, its unblinking red eye seeming to stare right through Mad before swiveling back to Jindal, who had-- <i>when had she gotten so close to it?</i></p><p>“I’m Ananya. Do you mind if I just watch you for the day? Well, the night, I guess, but my sleep schedule is fucked anyways-- Anyways. I just heard from Marco here--” she gestured at him, she <i>drew attention to another person in front of a Trevenant</i> “--that you and your kind protect the forest. From what I’ve heard, I’m a big fan.”</p><p>Marco regretted this. He regretted everything. Pokemon were intelligent, sure, and they could more or less understand human speech, especially if they’d had contact with it previously. Which, of course, a Trevenant <i>would,</i> probably from the dying screams for help it induced, or something. But appealing to a ghost? They weren’t friendly Pokemon. They were those who killed without hesitation, and were hence either avoided like the plague or driven off without hesitation by anyone with half a brain--</p><p>Had it just nodded?</p><p>---</p><p>“Whew,” yawned Jindal, rubbing her eyes. “That was a worthwhile experience, don’t you think? I learned a lot today, but I’m beat now.”</p><p>Nope. Not him. The sun was just peeking back up over the horizon, but the adrenaline and astonishment pounding through his veins left no room for drowsiness.</p><p>“What was that?” asked Marco instead of replying to Jindal. His voice broke, but he could pretend it was from the lateness of the hour. “You just cooperated with a Trevenant. And here we are, back in one piece each, without a scratch on our bodies. What did you do? Are you a ghost whisperer? Or some kind of medium?”</p><p>Jindal smirked. “That’s the most you’ve spoken to me all day,” she said, and Marco cleared his throat, looking away. “But really, there’s a little secret to handling ghost Pokemon.” Her smirk becoming a wide grin, she clapped her hands. “Captain!”</p><p>Marco watched in disbelief as shadows coalesced behind Jindal, forming into a huge shape-- easily over twice as tall as Marco himself, in the shape of an anchor. Red-orange rust covered the parts that weren’t draped with green, and an eye stared directly at Marco, and blinked once. Mad’s Pokeball, at Marco’s belt, vibrated in shock.</p><p>“They’re not nearly as bad as people think!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is my first attempt at writing a trans character. I didn't really try to make it the focus of the story, or the main character trait of Ananya, because that sort of thing is something I feel can be done tastelessly in too many ways. That being said, if I did something incorrectly or offensively, please please please let me know! I don't want to hurt anyone.</p><p>Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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